Surface cleaning tool



P' 1958 J. E. DUFF SURFACE CLEANING TOOL Filed Aug. 22, 1955 United States Patent Office 2,850,757 Patented Sept. 9, 1958 SURFACE CLEANING TOOL Jack E. Dulf, Canton, Ohio, assignor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 22, 1955, Serial No. 529,753 2 Claims. (Cl. 15-359) The present invention relates to surface cleaning tools adapted to be connected to a separate source of suction.

An object of the invention is to provide a cleaning tool having a handle mounted to transmit the vertical components of the propelling forces to the surface being cleaned, anda nozzle mounted for vertical adjustment as a result of engagement with the surface. Another object is to provide a cleaning tool wherein the nozzle has a fixed low position for surfaces such as bare floors, and is vertically adjustable to an optimum position for pile surfaces, such as rugs, as a result of engagement with the latter. Another object is to provide a cleaning tool wherein the handle propelling forces can be transferred to the nozzle when the latter is in its highest position. Still another object is to provide a cleaning tool having a handle mounted to transfer components of the forces applied to the handle to the nozzle to raise the latter. Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and drawings wherein,

Figure 1 is a side view with parts broken away showing one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a section along the line 2-2 in Figure l, and

Figure 3 is a partial view of Figure 1 but showing the elongated slots arranged in an upward and rearward direction.

The embodiment of the invention described in Figures 1 and 2 comprises a body having an elongated nozzle 11 at its forward end and a rearwardly extending bracket 12 secured thereto by rivets 13. The nozzle 11 is provided with a mouth 14 defined by a perimeter lip 15 and has an outlet 16 for escape of dirt laden air. A brush 17 is disposed in a housing 18 adjacent the mouth 14, and a pair of springs 19 urge the brush 17 into engagement with the surface 20 to be cleaned. A latch not shown can be provided to lock the brush 17 in retracted inoperative position out of engagement with the surface 20.

The bracket 12 has a top wall 21, depending opposed side walls 22 and an end wall 23, and secured to the latter by rivets 24 is a wheel bracket 25 rotatably supporting a shaft 26 on which is journaled an elongated roller 27. The roller 27 engages the surface 20 to form a rear support for the body 10 and the shaft 26 provides a pivotal axis for the body 10. An elongated vertical opening 28 is formed in each side wall 22 and are arranged between the nozzle 11 and the pivotal axis 26. Extending through the openings 28 is a wheel shaft 29 rotatably supporting at its opposite ends a thrust wheel 30 engaging the surface 20. The elongated openings 28 permit relative displacement between the body 10 and the shaft 29 and such move ment is limited by the shaft 29 engaging either the bottom 31 or top 32 of the walls defining the openings 30.

Formed in the top wall 21 of the bracket 12 is an opening 33 through which projects spaced arms 34 of a bail 35 each provided with an opening 36 to rotatably support the bail 35 on the wheel shaft 29. The bight 37 of the bail 35 is attached to a coupling 38 connected to one end 39 of a resilient conduit 40 the opposite end 41 of which is secured to the outlet 16 of the nozzle 11 for communication with the mouth 14. A wand 42, which also acts as a propelling handle, is removably attached to thecoupling 38 by a friction fit and afiixed to the opposite end of the wand 42 is an unshown hose which is connected to a suction cleaner in a well known'manner for conveying dirt laden air from the nozzle mouth 14 to the cleaner which removes the dirt from the air stream prior to discharging the latter to atmosphere. A torsion spring 43 is arranged about the wheel shaft 29 and is attached to one side wall 22 of the bracket 12 and one leg of the bail 35. The spring 43 is of such strength to prevent the nozzle 11 from pivoting downwardly when the body 10 is lifted off the surface 20 but does not interfere with displacement of the wheel shaft 29 in the elongated openings 28.

When the tool is employed to clean a surface represented at 20, the unshown hose is connected to a source of suction to provide a suction air stream through the nozzle mouth 14 for removing dirt from the surface being cleaned. The tool is propelled over the surface 20 on the wheels 30 and roller 27 by applying forces to the wand 42, and such forces are transmitted through the bail arms 34 to the wheel shaft 29 and then to the wheels 30 onto the surface 20. The elongated openings 28 in the frame 12 permit the wheel shaft 29 to be displaced with respect to I the nozzle 11 so that the vertical component of the forces applied to the handle 42 are not transferred to the nozzle 11 with the result the nozzle lip 15 rests lightly on the surface 20. In addition, the elongated openings 28 allow the body 10 to pivot about the roller axis 26 when the nozzle lip 15 engages different types of pile surfaces to automatically adjust itself to the surface so that the nozzle 11 in effect floats with respect to the surface 20. The brush 17 may be adjusted to an extended position to engage the surface being cleaned or retracted to an inoperative position.

If the tool is used on a surface, such as a bare floor, so that nozzle lip 15 does not rest on the surface then the upper ends 32 of the elongated openings 28 engage the shaft 29 maintaining the nozzle mouth 14 at a fixed low position with respect to the floor.

In the event the surface is such that the thrust receiving wheels 30 penetrate the surface to a depth wherein the latter lifts the nozzle 11 to bring the lower edges 31 of the elongated slots 28 into engagement with the wheel shaft 29 then the vertical component of the forces applied to the wand 42 will be transmitted to the nozzle 11 and cause the nozzle lip 15 to apply pressure to the surface being cleaned.

The embodiment of the invention shown in Figure 3 is similar to that previously described except the elongated opening 28 are arranged to extend in an upward and rearward direction as indicated by the numeral 45. In this arrangement of the openings 45 with respect to the thrust receiving shaft 29, the forward horizontal component of a pushing force on the wand 42 to propel the cleaner forward is transferred to the inclined wall 46 of the openings 45 and tends to lift the nozzle 11 about the pivotal axis 26 and thus less effort is required to initiate movement of the tool away from the user. When a pulling force is applied to the wand 42 the shaft 29 can be raised with respect to the elongated openings 45 and the vertical component of this force is applied to the inclined edges 46 and tend to lift the nozzle 11 with respect to the surface 20.

From the foregoing it will be perceived I have pro vided a cleaning tool having a fixed low nozzle position for cleaning hard surfaces, the nozzle reacts to pile surfaces to adjust itself thereto, and the vertical componentsof the forces applied to the wand are not transmitted t0= the nozzle but to thrust receiving wheels engaging the surface being cleaned.

While I have shown and described two embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that these embodiments are to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A cleaning tool comprising, a body having a downwardly facing suction nozzle at its front end, a suction passage formed in said body and communicating with said nozzle, said suction passage terminating in a rearwardly facing outlet opening, surface engaging supporting wheel means at the rear of said body, means pivotally connecting said wheel means to said body rearwardly of its center of gravity, said body forwardly of said pivotal connecting means being otherwise unsupported whereby said nozzle is free to drop and rest upon the surface to be cleaned and thereby be vertically adjustable in accordance with the type of surface being cleaned, a thrust receiving shaft having surface engaging thrust receiving wheels, a propelling handle attached to said shaft for transferring propelling forces thereto, elongated slot means on said body receiving said shaft for displacement of said thrust receiving wheels relative to said body upon application of propelling forces to said handle when cleaning a surface having a yieldable pile, and a portion of said slot means engageable with said shaft to limit the upward movement of said nozzle and provide an abutment for transferring said handle forces to said body and thus to said nozzle, said handle including a tubular coupling adapted to be connected to a propelling wand which is connected to a source of suction, and a flexible tube connecting the interior of said coupling to said outlet opening whereby said handle may be manipulated without transferring a tilting movement to said body.

2. A cleaning tool according to claim 1 in which said elongated slot means includes an elongated opening having an upwardly and rearwardly inclined wall arranged with respect to said shaft to receive thrust components of the forces applied to said shaft in applying pulling and pushing forces to said handle to thereby raise said nozzle about said pivotal connecting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 781,532 Kenney Jan. 31, 1905 1,265,789 Kirby May 14, 1918 1,826,798 Lee Oct. 31, 1931 1,995,084 Wiehle Mar. 19, 1935 2,175,639 Replogle Oct. 10, 1939 2,214,855 Helm-Hansen Sept. 17, 1940 2,658,228 Meyerhoefer Nov. 10, 1953 2,734,215 Wilson Feb. 14, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 613,009 Great Britain Nov. 22, 1948 

